Parallel Journeys

by Ayer, Eleanor H.

• ISBN13: 9780689832369
• ISBN10: 0689832362
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-01
• Publisher: Aladdin

Summary

She was a young German Jew.He was an ardent member of the Hitler Youth.This is the story of their parallel journey through World War II.Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. But their lives took radically different courses: Helen's to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth.While Helen was hiding in Amsterdam, Alfons was a fanatic believer in Hitler's "master race." While she was crammed in a cattle car bound for the death camp Auschwitz, he was a teenage commander of frontline troops, ready to fight and die for the glory of Hitler and the Fatherland. This book tells both of their stories, side-by-side, in an overwhelming account of the nightmare that was WWII. The riveting stories of these two remarkable people must stand as a powerful lesson to us all.

Author Biography

Eleanor Ayer received many honors during her distinguished career. Her other critically acclaimed books include The Importance of Adolf Hitler, as well as two titles for the Holocaust Library series, Inferno and The Survivors. She is the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults in the areas of history, biography, and teenage social issues. Ms. Ayer earned a master's degree in literacy journalism from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Journalism. She is survived by her husband and two sons.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
The Power and the Glory	1	(9)
The Tightening Noose	10	(9)
Serving Mein Fuhrer	19	(8)
Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass	27	(9)
Marching Down the Road to War	36	(8)
The Nazi Net Ensnares Holland	44	(8)
Disaster in the East	52	(12)
A Dark Look into the Future	64	(7)
The kingdom---Forever and Ever?	71	(7)
Heading into Hiding	78	(7)
Germany's Youngest Top-Rated Glider Pilot	85	(13)
Discovery and Deportation	98	(11)
A Meeting with Mein Fuhrer	109	(12)
Our Journey to Heaven	121	(10)
The Christmas Eve Air Attack	131	(12)
Some Small Signs of Hope	143	(9)
Decline, Fall, and Capture	152	(15)
The Long Trek Home	167	(10)
``You Will Be Executed by a Firing Squad''	177	(9)
One Day at a Time	186	(8)
Oceans Cannot Put Ghosts to Rest	194	(11)
Coming to Grips with the Past	205	(8)
Epilogue: The World Must Not Forget	213	(11)
Postscript	224	(5)
Chapter Notes	229	(4)
Bibliography	233	(2)
Index	235